What Is A Good SE Razor Brand To Start SE Shaving?

[Alum Ladd]

Hello there friends and Colleagues!

Well, I recently got a Fatip Piccolo as my first OC razor. Completely blown away by the shaving experience and results.

On the UK bay, Gillette vintage OC's are steep in price. Frankly the UK market, certainly on the bay, is absurd, with auctions being the order of the day, and mad prices being demanded as starting bids, even for a basic English Aluminum-handled Tech from the early to mid 60's. OC examples are even worse in terms of prices demanded. To my U.S friends, around $30-60 as starting bids often, and that is for Techs and other TTO examples. Often OC's are $40 starting with a 7 day bidding window, that wide window being the norm now for all models. Quality is widely variable in all example types.

However, SE razors are still reasonable. I have seen perfectly boxed examples of Valet Autostrops with info labels and unused strops and blades go for £30, or about $24. Also Ever Ready and Gem examples seem to be around the £20-30 mark, in great condition. I'm assuming it's seller-buyer unfamiliarity, and ignorance.

What would be a good starter SE? I believe Personna still provide blades that fit the Gem? Many examples are boxed, and look gorgeous. Most of these a just buy option, with no damned awful auction games.

I understand SE razors are the closest one can get to the SR, (that's out for me sadly, my eyesight and motor skills are not what they were back in the day, and I don't think I ever had the nerve to be honest) so the SE is the best I can hope for.

Any thoughts?

 

[kingfisher]

I am a fan of the bullet tip, sometimes called the guiding eye Gem. Mild and easy to use.
You will get a bunch of different opinions.

 

[APBinNCA]

I am a fan of the bullet tip, sometimes called the guiding eye Gem. Mild and easy to use.
You will get a bunch of different opinions.

And he can get the PTFE blades from Connaught easily.

 

[SydneyShaver]

I really like my yaqi raster. Its an AC SE though and not an injector. Under $30 AUD makes it a bargain to try.

 

[EclipseRedRing]

I suggest an Ever Ready 1912. On the UK bay in recent months, uncased, mint examples are under £10, and cased examples are under £15. Note that 1912 refers to the patent date not the date of manufacture as I understand it.

My first SE shave, any advice for me?

I recently purchased this on the Bay for the princely sum of £5 along with some GEM PTFE coated blades. It was sold as an Ever Ready 1912 and I believe these were made for several years. It is made in England and in perfect condition as is the case. Looking at the case I suspect 1940's but...

www.badgerandblade.com

 

[albsat]

I suggest an Ever Ready 1912. On the UK bay in recent months, uncased, mint examples are under £10, and cased examples are under £15. Note that 1912 refers to the patent date not the date of manufacture as I understand it.

My first SE shave, any advice for me?

I recently purchased this on the Bay for the princely sum of £5 along with some GEM PTFE coated blades. It was sold as an Ever Ready 1912 and I believe these were made for several years. It is made in England and in perfect condition as is the case. Looking at the case I suspect 1940's but...

www.badgerandblade.com

+1. I shaved today with a 1912 version and it has an intuitive head design to find your perfect shaving angle. Never underestimate a Gem blade, it cuts when you never expect it.

My suggestion. Try a 1912 Ever ready razor.

 

[Medivh]

GEM/ Ever Ready 1912 models are very friendly and easy to use even for those new to the GEM style razors compared to MMOC and MMCP. I suspect that there might be other easy to use models, but my experience is very limited and i've shaved with the ones i've mentioned.

You should also try the injector razors. Just like most GEM style razors, they are very inexpensive and the blades for both injectors and GEM's can be bought from Connaught. I like the injector razors a bit more, but both are really nice.

You should also try to find those razors from the US, since you have a lot more options and they are much cheaper there, but then again the shipping might be an issue. Or maybe you should try making a thread on BST and find them for a bargain.

 

[Salty O'Rourke]

Plenty of good advice here. You should have access to some cool 1912 variants that didn't make it to our shores, at least not in great quantities - the Ever Ready Peerless /Gem Bathroom sets from the 1950s. Any of the 1912 variants would be a good one to start with. I like the 1914 Little Lather Catcher best of all of the ASR SE razors but it's a more aggressive razor than the 1912s and may not be a good first SE.

Don't miss this thread either!

If you are curious about AutoStrop, check this thread. There are plenty of others to read but this is an excellent primer on the razor. Some models will accept a de-spined GEM blade; the later ones require a propriety blade. Feather FHS-10 blades work on 95% of these; there are a couple of models that have a nib pattern that isn't compatible - you'll see what I mean by nib pattern after reading the typology thread. I used a Valet VB2 this morning and got a great BBS shave with a FHS-10 blade. Feather makes a carbon version of this blade; it's terrible. Kai BEST blades are carbon and also work, but I've never used one and can't vouch for them - they have some fans here.

 

[Old Hippie]

What would be a good starter SE? I believe Personna still provide blades that fit the Gem? Many examples are boxed, and look gorgeous. Most of these a just buy option, with no damned awful auction games.

Depends on which SE format. Gem format pretty much starts with a nice 1912-pattern Gem; everybody's go-to. I owned (and piffed) several of them because I found them a bit mild. Then I picked up a 1914-pattern Ever Ready, also known as the "Little Lather Catcher" and it's probably for me one of the perfect Gem-ish razors. I've also got some modern Gems, such as the PAA Starling V2 which is an inexpensive and fairly good alumin(i)um razor. It took me a while to like the ATT G1, as it was designed to be just like a Gem 1912, but I've come to love that razor and often have it as a cleanup tool when using barber straights.

Artist Club is another SE format (and injectors yet a third). If you are wanting something "just like" a straight then AC is your thing in my opinion; mostly because many barber straights use AC blades and I can think of no barber straights that use Gem blades. (Some use 1/2 DE blades, while others like the Universal Lama Intera use whole DE blades but only expose one edge.) I tend to prefer razors that do not allow full play to the AC's sharpness. My two favourites at the moment are the ATT X1 and the RazoRock Hawk V3SB.

Both of those razors are fairly mild, but still quite good shavers. I would prefer to see an X2 OC version, and I would like to see RazoRock offer a non-Jaws OC option for the Hawk V3. I will point out that both razors shave just fine as they are. In my perfect world they'd have more options that I like but I'm not displeased with them.

O.H.

 

[Whiterook]

One of the best gem type razors is the Ever-Ready Streamline which are made in England and pricey on this side of the pond. If you see one in good condition for little money, grab it! Also there are British made Pal injectors you might try.

 

[Cumberland Sausage]

I would second the suggestion of trying an injector razor. I've got a few of the earlier Schick models and they all give great shaves. They get milder the more recent they are, generally speaking. I prefer these to the razors which take Gem blades, but that's just me and the Gem model so cheap it's probably worth trying one to see if it suits you.
I also really like AC razors but most are quite expensive. However the baqsic aluminium Razorock Hawk is about £30 here in the UK, or was last time I looked, and it is an excellent razor.

 

[Ron R]

I would suggest any Gem razor and I started with the Gem G bar and another couple of good Gem razors to start with are the push button or the Feather weight ( 1 OZ light razor) all three are tame mid range razors. I was going to mention the 1912 models and they are a mid range. I buy my Gem blades from Connaught shaving from the UK, very reliable and fair prices with a 2-3 week delivery time mostly. Used A.S.R razors offer some of the best affordable shaving after cleaned up and millions of these razors where sold around the world.

Have some great shaves!

 

[Alum Ladd]

Thanks Gents for this mine of information on SE types. Highly appreciated!

I am looking at the Ever Ready examples and Valet Autostrop sets, as these are still reasonable on the UK bay. I'm very attracted to Gems also.

Due to *cough* ongoing economic politico-discussions with Mrs. Ladd, I probably will not be able to pull the trigger on an example for a month. I will update when a purchase is made.

Once again, your input was greatly appreciated friends and colleagues. Cheers!

 

[oldmpf]

Thanks Gents for this mine of information on SE types. Highly appreciated!

I am looking at the Ever Ready examples and Valet Autostrop sets, as these are still reasonable on the UK bay. I'm very attracted to Gems also.

Due to *cough* ongoing economic politico-discussions with Mrs. Ladd, I probably will not be able to pull the trigger on an example for a month. I will update when a purchase is made.

Once again, your input was greatly appreciated friends and colleagues. Cheers!

I am UK based and still have a few ER 1912 to spare including a Peerless Set circa 1951.All 1912s are cased. Give me a message if interested.

 

[Esox]

What would be a good starter SE?

I am a fan of the bullet tip

And he can get the PTFE blades from Connaught easily.

The above is some of the best information I was ever given. My Bullet Tip with a PTFE is equal to my Grande in regards to efficiency. Where it betters it is in smoothness, its more gentle on my skin. The GEM Bullet Tip is a vastly underrated razor.

 

[Quaznoid]

Schick E or G. And use only Chinese Schick (“Chicks “) blades

 

[HoosierTrooper]

Schick E or G. And use only Chinese Schick (“Chicks “) blades

Or he can try both the Schick and Personna blades and make up his own mind on which one(s) to use. I’ve used a lot of each one over the last 13 years and have come to the conclusion that I prefer the Personna blades.

 

[never-stop-learning]

@Alum Ladd - The GEM Featherweight Deluxe is a wonderful GEM blade SE razor - especially to get you situated in the world of GEM razors. The Featherweight Deluxe is probably my #4 GEM razor, behind the Blackland Razors Sabre, the GEM MMOC/BMMOC and the Ever-Ready 1914 "Little Lather Catcher".

And here is a comparison of SE Razors: Thread 'Time To Do A SE Razor Shaving Comparison' Time To Do A SE Razor Shaving Comparison - https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/threads/time-to-do-a-se-razor-shaving-comparison.586057/

 

[cpool222]

Good advice here. The only thing I'd add is that among the 1912 patent ones, some of us believe the earlier ones referred to as the Damaskeene 1912s are the best. They mostly look like the other 1912s, but when you open the top, it says "use only Damaskeene blades". The top of the head on these is at a slightly more curved angle, but I and some others feel that they deliver a slightly better shave and have a smoother feel. One of my all-time favorites, and I probably have 40 or 50 SE razors (I know, ridiculous, right??)

 

[Alum Ladd]

Hello Gents!

Well, you provided an encyclopedia of SE info and recommendations above. Greatly appreciated.

At the moment I am closing in on two types, both of which seem affordable. Both GEM. The 1912 and the Flying Wing. I have seen two of the latter on sale at a good price here in the UK, and several 1912's. They are the short stubble handled ones. The Flying Wings look beautiful. They from 47-48 I believe.

What blades do they take? Is there a GEM/Personna blade that is currently made? Would these fit Ever Ready razors?

I have also seen an Ever Ready 'Popular' cased, for £14. There are 3 available.

Thanks everybody, as always.